Convection currents in the mantle result in the movement of lithospheric plates. The motion and interactions of the plates can create patterns in the location of volcanoes and earthquakes that result along the plate boundaries.
Convection Currents
The crust on Earth's surface moves because of movements deep inside the Earth. Heat rising and falling inside the mantle creates convection currents generated by radioactive decay in the Earth's core. The convection currents move the plates that make up the crust along the Earth's surface. Exactly how this works is still a matter of debate. The driving forces of plate motion continue to be active subjects of ongoing research. |
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- Tremendous heat is generated by the Earth's core. This causes material in Earth's mantle to be heated near the center of Earth and to cool down closer to the surface of Earth. This process is known as convection.
- Large plates of Earth's crust that we live on are "floating" on top of this moving mantle material resulting in its motion. This causes the interactions that occur along plate boundaries we experience on Earth's surface.